Slashdot Mirror
What Can I Do With My Meteorite?
DanCracker asks: "I've just inherited a 34 lb metorite from my grandfather. As a child, I was alwasy fascinated by it, but never developed my intrest. As much as this means to me, I've got little need nor room for such a thing. What is the next course of action I should take? Contact labs or universities? Post it on eBay? Help!"
Have an assay done. See what's in it.
This sig no verb.
That was gonna be my suggesiton. As a satisfied customer (I bought wedding bands for my wife and I in '97), check out Talisman Jewlers and their meteorite jewlery. I've been eyeing some of these items for years (for the cool factor), but I haven't taken the time to order yet.
Method of processing duck feet
My suggestion: keep it; don't sell it or give it away. THis is of course, assuming, you had an ok/good relationship with your grandfather. THis is something that will always remind you of him. Something that he passed along to you, probably knowing full well how much it meant to you. Don't sell it or give it away, or you'll end up regretting it in the long run. Even if you have to leave it on the closet floor or in a cardboard box somewhere.
What I do suggest, however, is to get it appraised. Make sure it is indeed a meteorite. If it's worth a significant sum; get it insured. At 100$/gram as suggested by other Slashdot readers, it might be worth to keep in some type of bank vault storage. You could then use it for things like collateral on buying a house, etc....
So don't do anything rash, don't think of just the short term.
It's better to burn out than to fade away
I doubt the availability of meteorites will jump at the rise in space travel. A meteorite is essentially an asteroid that didn't completely burn up on the entry to the atmosphere. This differentiates them from the asteroids that your space programs will be grabbing. It may lose some value, because of this, but it is more unique than just some space rock that someone snatches up.
I recommend you slice it up and sell off most of it. If you and/or your grandpappy were into knives, you might consider having part of it made into a collectible knife.
You could sell it to the knife company for the knife and a nice chunk of cash.
I recall there was a slashdot story on Damascus steel that referred to some of these knives maybe a year ago.
Of course, if its not your typical iron meterorite, then it maybe is even more valuable, so maybe an assay is the best way to start.
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